Friday, September 14

Fresh Fig and Fennel Pizza and the Best Time of the Day

Growing up, my mother prepared two dinners every night. She made an early one for her, my brothers, my grandmother, and me, and a second one for my father, who came home late from work.

I remember those early dinners well. My mother would ensure that there was something each of us loved -- one night there would be corn for Paul, or pasta for Chris, or artichokes for me. In return, we always ate what she made, even when we didn't like it, well, except for liver.

One time, she tried to pass off liver as steak. I wasn't fooled. I can still hear my grandmother's voice as I was howling about the awful smell. “What smell?" she protested, "It smells delicious! You know, when I was growing up, we couldn’t afford meat for the whole family, so we watched my father eat liver while the rest of us got full on bread.” I knew better than to tell her that I thought she was the lucky one.

Liver aside, those dinners were unforgettable. Even though it has been years since I have been in school or shared an early dinner with my mom and brothers, there is something--the back-to-school season or the way the sun is lower in the September sky--that brings me right back.

I shared this with my mom when she visited recently, and she agreed. “I wish I could go back one night and have all my kids around the table again. How I loved that time of day,” she added.

Because I now live California, it is a rare occasion for us to be together for dinner. So I look forward to my mom's visits here (where I get to cook what she loves). On her last trip, I made one of her favorites: my fig and fennel pizza.

Fresh figs have a heart-breakingly short season (typically from August-October), so now is the time to savor them. Though the vast majority of figs are produced here in California because of its Mediterranean climate, they can be found in most supermarkets across the country. Since figs do not ripen once picked, it’s best to eat them as soon as possible.

These lovely tear-drop shaped fruit are singular in appearance and flavor. From their characteristic perfumed fragrance to their fragile skin that is often split from ripeness, revealing droplets of golden honeyed nectar, figs are a treat so luscious that time seems to slow while eating one. And fresh figs are not at all like dried figs. They are soft and creamy and fruity and tangy.

Inspired by a fig and anise bread from San Diego’s famed Bread and Cie bakery, I created this fresh fig and fennel pizza. I coax the figs' inherent sweetness by slightly caramelizing them with shallots and licorice-flavored fennel. These flavors are balanced by pungent blue cheese, aromatic fresh rosemary, and rich toasted walnuts.

54 comments:

Fig and fennel and blue cheese -- oh my, that sounds delicious. My mom was just the opposite of yours -- one meal for everyone, we waited until Dad got home, and we ate what she served -- which was liver more often than I would have wished for.

Mmmmm, fig, fennel, walnuts and blue cheese on a pizza... that must be fabulous! And I couldn't possibly be more envious, Susan! We can't really get good fresh figs here in Toronto. And there's nothing better, is there? The last time I had a tree ripened fresh fig, I was walking on a road in Tuscany. There were fig trees, planted by birds, growing by the side of the road. We plucked ripe figs from low hanging branches and walked on, dribbling fig juice down on our chins, leaving a trail of juice spatters behind us on the dusty road.

-Elizabeth

P.S. (It's possible that some of the insanely expensive highend markets do carry good fresh figs but they won't even let me in the door because they don't like the look of my non-designer shoes that don't match my non-designer bag ;-))

Lydia-I feel like I should call my mom right now, and thank her again for only doing the liver trick once. ;)

Melissa-Thanks so much! I appreciate your visit.

Bazu-Yeh! I'm glad I gave you another idea for figs and fennel. They are spectacular, aren't they?

Veronica-I believe it; the flavors are dynamic.

Joanna-I hope you try it.

Elizabeth-Oh, I wish you could have you over and share some farmers' market figs with me, no matter what shoes and handbag you're wearing. They are most delicious when freshly picked and eaten with 24 hours.

Sra-Thanks, I really enjoyed photographing them too.

Linda-You might like them cooked, since their texture and flavor alters somewhat from the caramelization.

You have 3 of my favorite ingredients: figs, blue cheese, and fennel. But I've never put them all together...wow! Generally I use fennel seeds to add an extra burst of flavor; I'm looking forward to working with the bulb on this recipe. When I lived in CA I had a mission fig tree in the backyard. How sweet it was to go out and pick to my heart's delight! Thanks for sharing this and your memories of family dinners at the table. A very special time indeed :)

i feel with your mom... at the momentm i cook three dinners every night: one for son number 1, 3.5 years old, one for my 7 month-old who's just started on solids and needs his stuff pureed and devoid of any salt or other seasoning, and then one for me and hubby... hopefully at least the boys will eat the same things soon and as they get more adventurous with their food, they might even join us for our dinner - how i look forward to this!

Hi Susan! (I'm doing well, re: your comment, by the way. Just busy!) That pizza looks great - such a smart pairing. Can you believe that our neighbors CUT DOWN their fig trees? I know, they should be ashamed. (I've seen one coming back this summer, however, and I'm rooting for it to grow!)

Susan, this looks beautiful!! If only people were to take a few lessons from you - instead of going out and paying ridiculous prices for 'gourmet' pizzas which more often than not are a let-down, they should try making their own gourmet pizzas with toppings that appeal to them at home - healthier, freshier and tastier by miles!

Anali-Thanks! I wrote a piece for NPR's Kitchen Window which was published last Wednesday.

Katiez-Apparently, I inherited a lot of her food preferences too.

Rebecca-Oh, yes, I use fennel seeds in many sauces as well; they really perk up simple dishes. The thought of having a fig tree makes me giddy!

Johanna-What a wonderful mom and wife you are. Indeed!

Rosa-I'm so glad you like it.

Abby-What?! Who would cut down a fig tree? Unbelievable! (Glad to hear you're doing well.)

Melody-Thanks! I hope you get more so you can try it.

Sher-Hey, be careful! ;) The flavors are spectacular.

Kate-Hey, if fennel doesn't work for you, it doesn't work for you. The pizza would be delicious without it too. Promise. :)

Ellie-I appreciate that, and I completely agree. I love everything about homemade pizza from experimenting with flavor combinations, to the aroma of baking dough, to eating it with a lot less guilt since I know exactly what's been cooked into it!

Ronnie-Many thanks for your kind words. It means a lot to me.

Christine-What are the rates for Southwest and Jet Blue? I'll save you some. ;)

This za is a knockout, Susan. I've never been even slightly motivated to try a fruited topping, but one should never say "never." [Nothing, however, will EVER motivate me to eat liver again. ; )] Thanks for the glorious recipe.

I'd never had fresh figs before until I saw them at Costco (of all places!) and bought some but they must have been a poor quality because I didn't care for them or the texture and have never tried them since. I'd love to try a REAL fig and see the difference.

Susan, for some reasons I see fig in savory (and elaborated) dish is very California :D Have seen someone from your state combined it with a fancy burger, and now your elegant pizza!!! Truely love the creation.

Yum! I love figs, hence my blog name figswithbri.com. I will SO have to try out figs on pizza. I can imagine it would be wonderful with Brie cheese or Parmesan too. Sweet story of your family as well. Thanks you!

I remember kiddie meals! My mom used to make dinner for me and my brother in the kitchen early (which we'd have at the kitchen table reading our Mickey Mouse comics and having milk) and then she and my dad would eat later in the dining room. And I remember some of the hotels we stayed in used to have kiddies' dinners in the dining room before the adults arrived - does that even happen these days?

Mmmmm, figs. I love them - and I made a fig, brie and Prosciutto pizza the other day that I really must post. Yours looks absolutely fabulous.

YUM, YES! I love fresh figs so much -- i was at a party over christmas with a fruit and cheese platter that contained fresh figs, and i literally stood next to the platter all night! i probably ate 75% of them. this looks wonderful!!!